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MAGIC WHISTLE #9
by Sam Henderson
($11.95,
Alternative Comics)
Review by Rick Bradford
If you haven't heard,
Magic Whistle has been transformed from an irregularly-published comic book into an irregularly-published (okay, annually) book book. I think it's a great move since it means more pages, nicer binding, a greater variety of work and 32 pages in color.
As to the content, what can I say about Sam Henderson that I haven't said before? This volume shamefully boasts the usual orgy of lowbrow humor and dumbass cartoons that are still smarter than you. Henderson knows comedy and seems to be a master of taking lame concepts, turning them on their heads and making them actually funny (even if the humor lies in the ridiculousness of it all). This one's got Pickles the Exploding Dog, Dirty Danny, sketchbook pages, gag cartoons (so to speak), Simperton J. Narcisissy (he's an artiste!) and more, but the real gem here is the 25-page Hamburger Joe story. Not only does it sport the best coloring of the issue, it's also blatantly self-referential and inbred (yet still funny). Although it seems to be a collaboration (with Tim Maloney and John Hoffhines?), Henderson's love/hate relationship with parody magazines and the comics industry really shines through. It's a fun, unconventional story that's not over the top (for a change) and is told through several different art styles (mimicking newspaper comics, Tijuana Bibles and there's even an homage to Rube Goldberg).
Is there plenty more good stuff as well? You bet. You can also expect surprise appearances from Walt Holcombe, Erica Merchant, Sammy Harkham, Coop and others. Recommended.
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